Yearnings

About the Book

This collection of short stories takes you to many exciting places the author has lived in and traveled; it exposes you to the struggles and losses of individuals that have escaped from authoritarian regimes, such as Cuba and the Soviet Union, to find freedom in the United States of America. It reaches from betrayal and narcissism -- and the damage done to others -- to the charming innocence of a child asking to be told a story and the reminiscing of an old man who tells his Japanese friend how progress distorted his life’s memories. There are unexpected twists to many of these stories, not to forget a subtle sense of humor, that both intrigue and touch the heart.

About the Author

Armando J. Calonje M. was born in Granada, Nicaragua. He graduated from the Jesuit high school Colegio Centro America. He left Nicaragua in 1961 to pursue university studies in the United States of America at Louisiana State University in New Orleans. He completed his education at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, where he obtained a B.A. in 1971 and an MBA in 1975. He worked for the Embassy of Nicaragua in Washington from 1966 to 1974 and for the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States from 1974 to 2000. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife Silvia; has three children and three grandchildren. He is the author of Tales Along the Way, from Granada, Nicaragua to Washington, DC, an honest and detailed autobiography of his life narrating his experiences during his trajectory to Washington, DC after leaving his native country. This work was published in 2012. Some of the tales included in this book were published in Spanish in the AROAS Bulletin (Association of Retirees of the Organization of American States.)